Foundation Board

Carole “Nellie” Owens

FOUNDATION BOARD VICE PRESIDENT

Carole Nellie Owens is a native of Arizona, born and raised in Shumway and attended college at NPC. Carole is Managing Partner of Owens Energy in Show Low.

Carole is involved in many volunteer activities including teaching food preservation classes in the community; Manager of Elections in Taylor, and for 15 years has volunteered for Elections for The Town of Taylor and Navajo County; Chairperson for The Taylor Sweet Corn Festival for 19 years and also served on The Town of Taylor’s Special Events Committee; Inspector for the Navajo County Election Board; member of the Snowflake School Board; Chaperone for The Snowflake High School Travel Club, having spearheaded over 50 fundraisers for world travel; Chair of annual fundraiser for Taylor Intermediate School and PTSO, raising funds for books and items needed at that school; worked with Special Olympics, Taylor Little League and most recently she and her husband Dennis were inducted into the Town of Taylor Hall of Fame this past Fourth of July! Carole’s family has organized benefit fundraisers and auctions (100 plus) for people with illnesses such as cancer which have typically raised between $20 to $80K; hosted foreign exchange students and served as a youth leader in her church for many years. Carole has been married for 29 years to Dennis Owens, raised 6 children and now has 6 grandchildren. Her motto is “If I see a need for something to be done, I try to make it happen – if at all possible.”

Neil Traver

FOUNDATION BOARD MEMBER

Neil Traver is the APS Division Manager for Navajo and Northern Gila counties. A certified public accountant by training, Neil joined APS in financial operations in 2006. In 2010, he joined APS’ Fossil Division and moved to the Cholla Power Plant in Joseph City, where he oversaw the financial operations for Cholla and the Four Corners Power Plant near Farmington New Mexico. He was promoted into his current role in 2018, and manages the energy delivery for communities throughout Northeastern Arizona including Winslow, Holbrook, Snowflake, Taylor, Show Low, Payson and Star Valley.

Having grown up in St. John’s, Neil is grateful that APS afforded him the opportunity to return to the region. He is committed to the communities he serves and is active on a number of boards in addition to his role on the Summit Healthcare Foundation. He is on the Show Low Chamber of Commerce board of directors, an ambassador with the Snowflake/Taylor Chamber of Commerce board of directors and is a class member in the 2018-19 White Mountain Leadership program. He also participates as a Boy Scout troop leader.

Neil enjoys anything outdoors and is an avid hunter, fisher, camper and skier. He and his wife, Beth, live in Snowflake with their three children.

John Corder

FOUNDATION BOARD MEMBER

John Corder is President of Corder Community Services in Show Low. Mr. Corder retired after thirty six years in law enforcement and served as Chief of Police for twenty years for the City of Show Low. He serves as the Chairman of Summit Healthcare’s Governing Board and is a liaison between the Foundation and Governing Boards.

He grew up in Iowa and attended numerous law enforcement schools, academies, as well as Northland Pioneer College. He is a life member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the Arizona Association of Chiefs of Police and past chair of the Show Low Chamber of Commerce Board. In the past twenty five years he has been a member of and participated in many local groups and organizations. He has been appointed by two Governors to state boards and is a past President of the Arizona Association of Chiefs of Police. Mr. Corder serves as the liaison between the Foundation and Governing Boards of the hospital. He enjoys volunteering his time to serve the hospital and the community. Mr. Corder’s interests include classic cars, art and music. He and his wife Janet have two grown children and five grandchildren.

Ron McArthur

FOUNDATION BOARD MEMBER

Ron has more than three decades of healthcare experience. Prior to joining Summit Healthcare he held the role of Regional Vice President at Quorum Health Resources supervising thirteen hospitals in Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri. Prior to that, he was the Chief Executive Officer at Gila Regional Medical Center in Silver City, New Mexico and the CEO of Roosevelt General Hospital in Portales, New Mexico. He holds a master’s degree in Health Services Administration from Arizona State University and is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives. Ron was recently elected to serce as a Board Member for AzHHA. He and his wife, Jenice, have five grown children; four boys and a daughter. His hobbies include hunting, fishing and golfing.

Nicole Edgington

FOUNDATION BOARD MEMBER

In February 2000 Nicole Edgington was recruited by the CellularOne management team to serve as a Sales Manager for the company. Utilizing her customer service and marketing skills to build a network of sales venues for the company, she successfully established, trained and managed a team of approximately 20 CellularOne agents.

This led Nicole to a role as Company Trainer where she developed and implemented training programs for both outside agents and company employees. Emphasis was given to Marketing, Sales and Customer Service education.

In mid-2002, Nicole assumed the role of Sales Director, leading a team of 70 employees. It was during her tenure that CellularOne launched its landmark program to provide subsidized cellular service to a number of Indian Reservations in the Southwest. The program, called VisionOne, continues to serve as a model for reaching underserved communities.

In February of 2005, Nicole took on management of Inventory for CellularOne. This vital component of the company’s success was in need of an organized, fiscally savvy and competent individual.

In August of 2012 Nicole was promoted to Head of Marketing. Under her leadership and direction, the Marketing Department refreshed and rolled out a new brand for Cellular One, launched a new 3G/4G product, and developed an entirely new product brand called Naked Mobile.

In April of 2014 she was promoted to Commercial Director where she oversees all Commercial Sales outlets, Marketing/PR, Procurement and Distribution—and the new division called Business Solutions.

Her exposure and contributions to the marketing, sales and inventory aspects of CellularOne, make her uniquely qualified to lead effectively in multiple capacities. Over the past fifteen years Nicole has been a part of the tremendous growth and success of this very unique, regionally-focused technology company.

Nicole is the Vice Chairwoman for the Pinetop-Lakeside Chamber of Commerce, is the Treasurer for the White Mountain Business Owners Roundtable Group and is a mother of three.

David Knox

FOUNDATION BOARD MEMBER

David Knox has been a Financial Advisor with Edward Jones since 2011. David began his career as a CPA for the international accounting firm of PriceWaterhouseCoopers. He then spent over 12 years in the banking industry with JP Morgan Chase in various accounting and finance positions, including, Controller of a state holding company, CFO for a national line of business and as a corporate bond trustee. He practiced locally as a CPA for several years before joining Edward Jones.

David serves on the board of the White Mountain Business Owners Round Table and on the board of Mountain Christian School. He was raised in Ohio, but moved to the White Mountains in 2003 to be close to the family of his wife Kimberly, a Show Low native. David and Kimberly have three children and they enjoy their horses, camping, hunting and fishing.

Allison Hephner

FOUNDATION BOARD MEMBER

Allison Hephner is the Community Outreach Specialist, coordinator for Healthy Arizona Policy Initiative, Children with Special Healthcare Needs and the Accreditation for Navajo County Public Health Services District. Her career in healthcare began in 2002 working for an outpatient physical therapy office as an aid, in 2005 she was hired by a local fire department as a first responder HAZMAT/ Firefighter/EMT, and in 2013 she began her public health career. Allison received firefighter of the year in 2006 and again in 2011. She is the host of a local TV show “Safe and Sound” which spotlights fire, police and health programs.

In 2003 she started a nonprofit which supports women empowerment by volunteering at charity events throughout Arizona. She has also served on the Salvation Army Board, White Mountain Community Garden Board and continues as a member, is the VP of White Mountain Fire and Life Safety and serves on the Hangar Dance Coalition. Allison received her Certificate of Public Managers from ASU and has participated in White Mountain Leadership and the Navajo County Leadership Programs. When Allison is not at work she spends time with her husband Birdman and their three wonderful children. Some of her hobbies include, Harley riding, shooting, gardening, hiking and traveling.

Sarah Lanner

FOUNDATION BOARD MEMBER

Sarah Lanner is an Arizona native, raised right here in Pinetop-Lakeside. She is a graduate of Blue Ridge High School. She went on to earn her Bachelor of Science degree from the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University.

Sarah started her career in the escrow and title insurance industry with First American Title while in college and stayed with the company after graduation. In the 15 years with First American, she worked her way up to become a Senior Commercial Escrow Officer working on national commercial transactions in all 50 states.

She was recently given the opportunity to return to her home town at which time she accepted a position as an Escrow Officer with Pioneer Title Agency in Pinetop. Sarah was a member of Omega Phi Alpha, a community service sorority and volunteered with the Sojourner Center in Phoenix. In her spare time, she loves to hike, ski and spend time with her family and friends. She is glad to be a member of the White Mountain community again and looks forward to helping our community grow!